UN World Press Freedom Day 2009

The Evening Standard columnist Andrew Gilligan and NATO spokesperson Jamie Shea are to team up to argue that governments at war are winning the battle of controlling the international media, at an event organised by the UK National Commission for UNESCO on 1st May in London.

Gilligan and Shea will challenge the views of Alan Fisher (Al Jazeera English) and Jeremy Dear (NUJ), who claim that governments have failed to prevail in this ongoing struggle. The debate will be broadcast live online to a global audience.
 
According to Gilligan, “Governments are becoming increasingly skilful at obscuring the truth during times of conflict. Recent examples demonstrate that the release of information is tightly controlled, resulting in a selective version of every conflict."
 
Arguing against the motion, Alan Fisher will argue that, “Governments have always failed in their attempts to silence the press and with new technology, their fight has never been more futile. Through the years, journalists have been intimidated, threatened and even killed but the message still gets out, the story still emerges. Governments may win the odd battle, but media is winning the war."
         
The panel of experts will debate the success of governments in controlling coverage in times of conflict and turbulence. A number of other speakers, including working and exiled journalists from Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, will weigh in on this critical question.
 
The annual World Press Freedom Day debate will take place at the Frontline Club from 10.00 to 12.00 noon on 1st May, in advance of World Press Freedom Day on Sunday 3rd May.
 
2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom International Prize:
The Sri Lankan editor Lasantha Wickrematunge has been posthumously awarded the 2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom International Prize. The late Sri Lankan journalist and editor of the Sunday Leader, who was assassinated on 8 January this year, knew his profession put him in danger and went so far as to write an editorial for publication after his death. It appeared in the Sunday Leader on 11 January 2009, voicing Mr Wickrematunge's commitment and readiness to die for press freedom: “[…] there is a calling that is yet above high office, fame, lucre and security. It is the call of conscience." The Sunday Leader has been nominated for a Guardian Journalism Award at the 2009 Index on Censorships Freedom of Expression Awards.
 
We are pleased that Natalie Samarasinghe from UNA-UK, the niece of Mr Wickrematunge, will be speaking at the London debate on 1 May.
 
Tickets are available from worldpressfreedom@unesco.org.uk. Those unable to attend can see the debate live on the Frontline website at http://frontlineclub.com.
 
For further information, please contact Ian White at the UK National Commission for UNESCO on  (0)20 7766 3492 or iwhite@unesco.org.uk.